Frog Hunting
by lemonfreshsurf
Summary: From Louisa's POV. She tells a little bit about her family. Takes place before Fraulein Maria arrives.
1. Let's Start at the Very Beginning

I am the prankster in the family. I'm sure this is somewhat hard to believe, if you happen to know me. I'm very quiet, especially if I do not know you yet. You might call me the shy one in the family, although I would have to say Marta is by far the shiest out of all seven of us.  
  
That's right, there are seven of us. My oldest sister, Liesl, is sixteen. She is beautiful, charismatic, and the most loving older sister anyone could want. After all, she has spent pretty much her entire life looking after all of us. And believe me, this truly must be a difficult job, because my brothers must be the most rambunctious beings on earth. Kurt is my younger brother, and he is eleven. While he is not as stubborn as my older brother, Friedrich, who is fourteen, he can be a bit of a troublemaker. Kurt tries to be tough, but you can tell he has a sensitive side to him. Friedrich was told by Fraulein Josephine (one of our governesses) that he was, indeed, "impossible". I think this may have something to do with the day that she discovered that someone had put glue on her toothbrush. Friedrich took the blame for it, but I have a feeling that Kurt had more to do with it than he admits.  
  
Then there are my younger sisters. Brigitta is ten, and she is intelligent, observant, and a self-professed bookworm. She is definitely not shy, and does not hesitate to tell you what she thinks of you. In fact, she once told Fraulein Helga that her dress was ugly. She is the only one out of the seven of us that would dare say something like that. Marta is seven, and as I said before, very shy. She doesn't take part in our pranks as willingly as the rest of us do. Even Gretl, at five, is often times more willing to help carry out these pranks. You see, we are all trying to get rid of the governesses, because every last one of them is horrible to have around.  
  
You see, our mother died about five years ago, not long after Gretl was born. She had a bout with scarlet fever, which took her rather quickly. Father didn't know what to do, so he left us in the care of our maid, Frau Schmidt for a short time, and not long after, he began hiring governess after governess to take care of us. Father would go on vacations to get away from the house, and from us. For some reason, the very people you would think would make him happy in fact do quite the opposite. Now that you know the rest of my family, I suppose it's time to make myself known.  
  
My name is Louisa von Trapp, and I am thirteen years old. I'm feeling incredibly sad right now, because tomorrow, we are going to meet a new governess. I have know idea what to think, except that a postulant from the Abbey cannot possibly be a good thing. 


	2. Things that Go Croak in the Night

I'm sure this might be hard for you to believe, especially coming from someone who seems so quiet and shy. The truth is, I love playing pranks. Anyone is fair game, but the governesses are the best for pulling these pranks. They get upset and tell Father, and my brothers and sisters and I get into trouble. I'm sure that doesn't sound fun, but with Father, any attention you get from him is a good thing. He at least acknowledges your presence when you're in trouble. Sometimes we don't really play pranks, but instead decide to make general mischief. I can't explain why I enjoy doing all of this, except it makes me feel like I'm a part of something. I'm so quiet at school that I don't have many close friends, and obviously, Father is not very close to us. Every time the seven of us get into trouble, I feel an incredible bond with my brothers and sisters. They are the only people I completely trust with all my heart. We work as a team, and go through life together. I can't think of a nicer feeling than having your siblings with you every step of the way.  
  
One of these pranks backfired on me once. I was about ten, and I was climbing the trellis to get into the governess' room to leave a snake, and as I was climbing, I lost grip and fell about six feet to the ground. I ended up with a broken collarbone, and I was bedridden for about three weeks. Father was away at the time, and he gave me a call when he found out, but nothing more. He didn't come home earlier to see me, but I'm quite used to that kind of thing now. He's away so long sometimes that I forget what he looks like. Luckily, my brothers and sisters kept me entertained, playing card games and telling me stories about what I missed at school, or playing patty-cake with Gretl. I don't know what I would have done without them. As I am writing this, I can honestly say that I can now make it up that same trellis with an entire jar of spiders. It's an accomplishment that I'm incredibly proud of. I'm the only one out of all my siblings that can do that. Friedrich and Kurt have been quite jealous of this ability for some time now, but with a little practice, I'm sure they could do the same.  
  
As of right now, Friedrich, Kurt, and I are searching for a frog to hide in our new governess' pocket. I'm sure a nun would be afraid of such things, so we must hurry and find a good sized one. There isn't a whole lot of time to find one, so for right now I must stop talking. Catching a good frog is an art, and my muse is calling. Everything will work out fine, and this governess will be leaving in no time at all. 


End file.
